Hong Kong’s education minister has said that schools are on the “frontline” of preventing the spread of “soft resistance,” as students may develop “extreme, biased” values due to online rumours.
Schools in Hong Kong should cultivate patriotism among students and step up training for teachers to prevent “hostile forces from infiltrating schools,” Secretary for Education Christine Choi said on Tuesday, as the city marked its 10th National Security Education Day.
Choi warned of the “dangerous aspect” of soft resistance, saying it could “easily penetrate the heart and mind.”
She cited as an example illustrated books published by a now-disbanded speech therapists’ union and said the stories, ruled as seditious in 2022, had promoted “anti-government sentiments” to students who were “mentally immature.”
The minister went on to mention online rumours that portrayed “normal learning activities” as “forcing” students to visit mainland China and “brainwashing” them.
“Students unknowingly absorb these messages, forming extreme, biased, or even incorrect values,” Choi said in Cantonese.
“They can be manipulated and incited to engage in illegal activities, disrupting social peace, and endangering national security. The consequences are very serious.”
Secretary for Security Chris Tang recently accused a former examinations official of spreading rumours about the recent death of a secondary school student during a study tour in mainland China.
Tang said that Edu Lancet – a social media page run by former Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) subject manager Hans Yeung on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads – had “slandered the incident” by suggesting it was caused by students being “forced” to take part in exchange trips across the border.
Choi also announced on Tuesday that the Education Bureau had rolled out various training programmes for teachers to improve their ability to identify “soft resistance.”
Schools are asked to incorporate national education into their daily teaching in order to strengthen students’ “cultural confidence, national identity, and a conscious awareness to safeguard national security.”
“The younger generation is our future, and schools are on the frontline of preventing soft resistance,” the minister said.
Since 2021, government officials have cited “soft resistance” as a threat to national security, yet they have not provided a clear definition of the term.
Apart from the children’s books that led to five speech therapists being jailed for 19 months in 2022, another example of “soft resistance” cited by the city’s authorities was a series of national anthem blunders at international sporting events.
During those incidents, overseas organisers wrongly played the 2019 protest song Glory to Hong Kong, instead of China’s national anthem – which is also that of Hong Kong – March of the Volunteers.
